WHO IS: OĞUZ ATAY ?

This page briefly says who he is. an article about his books and with excerpts from his books will come later by me.

(Early life)

Oğuz Atay was born on Sept. 12, 1934, in İnebolu, Kastamonu. His father Cemil Atay was a member of Parliament for three consecutive periods before the first democratic elections in 1950. Oğuz Atay's family was thus among the official elite during the single- party regime. This affected the novelist throughout his life. He always had a dichotomous attitude toward the Republic's elite. He owed them, but he did not want to be one of them. This binary caused a duality both in his character and in his style as a writer. Oğuz Atay wrote, "My entire life was a game in which I wanted to be taken seriously."

This seems strange since he lived a serious life according to general understanding. He was schooled in Ankara at Maarif Koleji, which was one of the most prominent state colleges for the children of bureaucrats and rich tradesmen. Afterward he studied in the Civil Engineering Department of Istanbul Technical University in 1951. After graduating in 1957, Atay was employed as a professor at the Istanbul State Engineering and Architecture Academy (now Yıldız Technical University) in 1960. His academic life was a straight and unbroken line. He was still a lecturer in the university when he died.

However, Atay had something in mind when using the word "game" to describe his life. He lived seriously, but he did not feel that way. What he did were things he was officially supposed to do. His life as an engineer- academic did not reflect his character. Indeed, his character was not extrinsic. According to his college yearbook, Atay was "an interesting type" among his peers. The yearbook talks about his accuracy.

Unfortunately, Oğuz Atay suffered from a brain tumor and could not finish his last novel. The eccentric writer died on Dec. 13, 1977, in Istanbul.

(Atay's predecessors)

Oğuz Atay never lived the life of a professional fiction writer. He was a professor of engineering who wrote novels and stories in his personal life. He never saw a second imprint of any of his books. And some of his books could only be published after his death. Depending on such staff, some people called Atay the "Turkish Kafka."

 

🔎The source: https://www.dailysabah.com/portrait/2014/05/24/oguz-aktay-disconnectus-erectus